University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Saturday, January 17
Mobile, Ala.
3:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
5-15,3-5Sun Belt
59
at
56
South Alabama
13-6,4-3Sun Belt
1
2
F
Louisiana
26
33
59
South Alabama
25
31
56
Olvera's Late Heroics Helps Louisiana Edge South Alabama, 59-56
1/17/2026 7:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Louisiana sinks season-high 15 3-pointers to split season series with Jags
MOBILE, Ala. – Jaxon Olvera hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final half-minute, the last with just 2.1 seconds remaining, as Louisiana avenged a New Year's Eve loss to Sun Belt Conference rival South Alabama, defeating the Jaguars, 59-56, before an announced crowd of 2,617 on Saturday at the Mitchell Center.
Olvera scored nine of his team-high 14 points in the second half as Louisiana (5-15, 3-5 SBC) sank a season-high 15 3-pointers on a school-record 42 attempts in earning its second road win of the season.
Similar to the game at the Cajundome on December 31 – a game where South Alabama scored the game's final nine points in the final 1:28 in a 63-58 win – Louisiana had the lead late.
Dorian Finister's 3-pointer gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 53-47 lead with 4:16 remaining, but South Alabama (13-6, 4-3 SBC) went on a 7-0 run to regain the lead and was on trek to notch another comeback win.
Chaze Harris hit a hook shot inside the paint for the Jaguars, Jayden Cooper buried a desperation 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down, and Randy Brady got a layup inside, giving South Alabama the lead with 56 seconds left.
Olvera, who was 5-for-13 from the floor and 4-for-11 from long range, chased down his own miss and later gave Louisiana a 56-54 lead with a second-chance 3-pointer from the left wing with 24 seconds left.
After a South Alabama timeout, the Jaguars tied the game when Harris, the Sun Belt's leading scorer entering the game, hit a bucket inside to knot the game at 56-all with 11 seconds left.
Finister took a pass from De'Vion Lavergne and found Olvera in nearly the same spot on the left wing for the game-winner. Adam Olsen's desperation attempt at the buzzer fell short as Louisiana snapped a three-game losing streak to the Jaguars, while winning in Mobile for the second time in the past three meetings.
Milan Mejia connected on four 3-pointers to finish with a season-high 13 points for the Ragin' Cajuns with Lavergne adding 12 points with five assists.
Harris tallied his season average of 18 points while Cooper added 11. Olsen, who scored a career-high 26 against the Cajuns in the previous meeting, was held to nine points on 3 of 10 shooting.
Olsen grabbed a team-high nine rebounds as South Alabama enjoyed a 37-27 rebounding advantage. Todd Jones Jr., equaled his season high with nine rebounds and added four blocked shots for Louisiana with Finister finishing with nine points, six rebounds and five assists.
Louisiana held South Alabama to 43 percent from the field, including 9-for-25 (.360) in the first half in taking a 26-25 lead at the break. The Ragin' Cajuns, who started the game 1 of 7 from the floor with their first 11 shots coming from behind the 3-point line, finished 21-for-55 (.382) from the floor
South Alabama finished 3-for-10 from the free-throw line, with Louisiana going 2-for-4. The teams combined for 15 turnovers with Louisiana committing seven and the Jags finishing with eight.
Louisiana will continue its four-game, Sun Belt Conference road trip with a pair of games beginning Thursday at Appalachian State before a Saturday contest against Old Dominion.
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
For the latest on Louisiana Men's Basketball, stay tuned to RaginCajuns.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (RaginCajunsMBB).
Olvera scored nine of his team-high 14 points in the second half as Louisiana (5-15, 3-5 SBC) sank a season-high 15 3-pointers on a school-record 42 attempts in earning its second road win of the season.
Similar to the game at the Cajundome on December 31 – a game where South Alabama scored the game's final nine points in the final 1:28 in a 63-58 win – Louisiana had the lead late.
Dorian Finister's 3-pointer gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 53-47 lead with 4:16 remaining, but South Alabama (13-6, 4-3 SBC) went on a 7-0 run to regain the lead and was on trek to notch another comeback win.
Chaze Harris hit a hook shot inside the paint for the Jaguars, Jayden Cooper buried a desperation 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down, and Randy Brady got a layup inside, giving South Alabama the lead with 56 seconds left.
Olvera, who was 5-for-13 from the floor and 4-for-11 from long range, chased down his own miss and later gave Louisiana a 56-54 lead with a second-chance 3-pointer from the left wing with 24 seconds left.
After a South Alabama timeout, the Jaguars tied the game when Harris, the Sun Belt's leading scorer entering the game, hit a bucket inside to knot the game at 56-all with 11 seconds left.
Finister took a pass from De'Vion Lavergne and found Olvera in nearly the same spot on the left wing for the game-winner. Adam Olsen's desperation attempt at the buzzer fell short as Louisiana snapped a three-game losing streak to the Jaguars, while winning in Mobile for the second time in the past three meetings.
Milan Mejia connected on four 3-pointers to finish with a season-high 13 points for the Ragin' Cajuns with Lavergne adding 12 points with five assists.
Harris tallied his season average of 18 points while Cooper added 11. Olsen, who scored a career-high 26 against the Cajuns in the previous meeting, was held to nine points on 3 of 10 shooting.
Olsen grabbed a team-high nine rebounds as South Alabama enjoyed a 37-27 rebounding advantage. Todd Jones Jr., equaled his season high with nine rebounds and added four blocked shots for Louisiana with Finister finishing with nine points, six rebounds and five assists.
Louisiana held South Alabama to 43 percent from the field, including 9-for-25 (.360) in the first half in taking a 26-25 lead at the break. The Ragin' Cajuns, who started the game 1 of 7 from the floor with their first 11 shots coming from behind the 3-point line, finished 21-for-55 (.382) from the floor
South Alabama finished 3-for-10 from the free-throw line, with Louisiana going 2-for-4. The teams combined for 15 turnovers with Louisiana committing seven and the Jags finishing with eight.
Louisiana will continue its four-game, Sun Belt Conference road trip with a pair of games beginning Thursday at Appalachian State before a Saturday contest against Old Dominion.
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
For the latest on Louisiana Men's Basketball, stay tuned to RaginCajuns.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (RaginCajunsMBB).
Team Stats
LA
USA
FG%
.382
.434
3FG%
.357
.467
FT%
.500
.300
RB
27
37
TO
7
8
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
4
3FGM
4
FTM
1
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
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